This year we decided to go on the world's greatest vacation. Of course, this wasn't an instant thought. Nor was it a random choice as to how to spend out time. The thought process covered many issues, crossed many barriers, and allowed for a few leaps of faith. We are both 61 and in good health, enjoy travel and want to experience as much as we can while we can. An additional factor is Amber. Amber is a four year old granddaughter that we are raising. Where we go, she goes....In November, she will be five and starting kindergarten. During the preschool years, pulling her out to travel is not a concern. However, when real school starts...the schools will not be as generous toward our travel plans and pulling her out of school. So it is now or who knows when so we picked now.

This world's greatest vacation is broken into three parts. First is the Kentucky SKIT, second is a month in Europe, (mostly Italy and the Mediterranean area)and the third is a Caribbean cruse in July to celebrate our first anniversary with some of the people that went on the Alaska cruise and attended our wedding and some new eons people. Attending the Kentucky SKIT had the most barriers. there were many going we knew and many more we wanted to meet. But the clincher was Lyn's proposed wedding....That, we could not miss, so we started chopping barriers! By the time it was decided to not have the wedding...all the barriers were down and we were going! The other concern we have with any SKIT is we are no longer happy-go-lucky boomer singles traveling from party to party! Now we are a happy-go-lucky family including a four year old in the mix! (But still traveling from party to party!) We love our eons friends and recognize that without eons and the SKITS we would not be together. We also recognize that imposing a four year old on the group is an unfair imposition. So we come, we visit, we go. We are not willing to give up our friends just because we got married and have a short person around all the time. We all love our grandchildren but that doesn't mean we want them at the parties.

The second part is the trip to Italy+. This started with GNM finding a fantastic round trip fare to Rome. Not being the type that would leave all the fun of the planning to a travel agent, we began to knock down the barriers and build our itinerary. Every part of the itinerary had to run through the Amber filter. It is amazing how much traveling with a young child affects your plans! For example, although we have legal custody and Amber has her own passport....we needed a letter explaining why we were taking her out of the country, for how long, where, how, and probably will need to show tickets that we are bringing her back? Every hotel must be checked on how they count a four year old? In some she is a child and stays free. In others she may be half price, full price or it may depend on whether she has her own bed? Train tickets, tour tickets, taxis, etc., etc......nothing can be assumed to be understood without reading the fine print! If as many have claimed, half the fun is in the planning; we are probably already having more fun then legally allowed! The reason I offer the information on the Amber filter is simple. We found the simple fact that adult travel and family travel is different! Duh! Every mom and most Dads know this but as boomers we have mostly forgot traveling with our kids years ago and most don't travel with the grandkids....

(work in progress)This morning I am sitting on the balcony looking across the water at the hills of Monte Carlo. No docking this morning, just waiting to go ashore on the tenders. (not so fancy name for the lifeboats they use to take us ashore. No tours or excursions today; we are just going ashore to absorb the richness of this little principality.

The flight over was non eventful.; smooth transfers and a comfortable flight. We scheduled a shuttle bus to take us from the airfield to the port but we three were the only ones going so instead of the bus we were driven in a BMW! The driver believed the normal speed was 140 kilometers per hour, at least until he got on the express way…..so the drive along the coast was at least interesting. We arrived at the port too early to board so I tried to convince Amber the big black ship was really a pirate ship and we were all going to become pirates but she wasn’t buying it. I think GNM finked and told her the truth!

First day’s stop was Livorno or the seaport closest to Pisa and Florence. Our plan was to take the train to Pisa and then to Luca. We were staying a couple of days in Florence so that would come later. Our introduction to the busses and trains of Italy was an adventure in itself. We managed to get to Pisa and see the tower but Lucca escaped for another day. Now we shall see what Monte Carlo holds for our adventure today.

Day 3 Monte Carlo

We had no planned excursion today so we had to wait for our turn to go ashore. The walk from the tender landing to the road and bus stop was about ½ mile. It is crowded because the Grand Prix is running this weekend….not to mention very noisy with the formula one cars doing their time trials and familiarization runs. The goal was to at least look around town at how the rich people live and visit Le Grand Casino….maybe it was the races or another holiday but the buses were Gratitude; ie free! We took the number 1 which rumor had was going by the Casino and main museums. No problem, however, with the races and closed roads….most of the signs were not exactly accurate. Le Casino was across the street that was used as the main track for the race. An iron bridge was built to cross the road and when you walk through it with the cars running under it is like sitting next to the front speakers at an Iron Maidens concert! Past Jacque Cousteau’s mini sub we found the Casino. The next hurtle was we found the joint does’t open until 2:00pm and it was only 11:30. Bummer. We could not get into the main casino but there was an adjacent facility that had slot machines and about 10 tables. It was part of Le Casino but for the early risers I guess. Not to be undone, we went to the cashier window and bought 5 two euro chips for souvenirs. Was cheaper then a hat with the casino name! And I did not lose any money gambling!

Returning to the ship, and again following the advice of a complete stranger, we took bus number 2. This bus had a lovely route over the top of the town with fantastic views of the harbor and city. Alas, it did not go to the port. I discovered our bus driver was one of the few that actually spoke English and he graciously showed us where to depart his bus closest to the port. After our scenic tour via city bus it was getting time to reboard so we found the ship and only had a small wait for our turn on the tender.

Day 4

Today is a day at sea. The girls slept in so I was able to go for breakfast and enjoy the quiet time since apparently I was one of the few that did not sleep in! About 9:00 am the Capitan made an announcement that we were about to pass the USS Eagle, the sailing ship used as a training ship for the US Coast Guard. I believe he was a fan because not only did he give full details of the history but he slowed our boat to a couple knots, passed the sailing ship, then turned our ship and passed it again on the other side. I was thinking he might lower a lifeboat and go over to request a tour …..

The ladies finally awoke and we went swimming, had lunch, and then they were ready for a nap! This vacation cruising stuff is really hard work, I guess?

Day 5
Last night was formal night so out comes the tuxedos and beautiful dresses. We decided to have our picture taken while we were so gorgeous! Amber did not nap today so by the time dinner was over we had to take her to the room. Oh well, maybe dancing will come tonight….

Today we are in Barcelona. No tours but we are going to the Picasso Museum and wander around to Gothic Quarter. Old town area, lots of museums and Tapas bars….Amber will spend the day with her handlers and the other little monkeys on board.

Day 12 or 13 of this vacation…..I shall have to come back later and fill in the missing spaces. I have been too tired, or lazy, or distracted by the fun to work at writing. Today we are in Civitavecchia, Italy, outside of Rome, waiting between cruises and wandering around the countryside. We decided to take the train into the city and stop at Vatican City to visit. I sent the Pope an e-mail saying I was coming but it must have gotten lost since he was not there to greet me? The mobs at St Peters were as expected so we just viewed the exterior, the plaza and the grounds. We are coming back for the interior of the Sistine Chapel and the Basilica. As I stood on the train for the 35 minute ride to the terminal closest to Vatican city I pondered a few thoughts about this trip so far.

First I believe the so-called ugly American has grown old and died! He has been replaced by the ugly European who is alive and well. So far on this trip we have visited , Tunis, Tunisia; Barcelona, Spain; Monte Carlo, France; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Rome, Livorno, Pisa, and Naples, Italy . In these last two weeks there have been a few constants. The local people are rude. Even when you are buying something the reaction given is one of distain that they have to waste their time taking our money. Crosswalks and red lights or other street signs mean nothing. It is get out of my way or get run over. People walk with their noses up in the air and never give an inch on the sidewalks. Some of the older generation will at least smile or speak a few kind words to a foreign child but adults are just in the way. On the crowded buses and trains it is the American or other tourist that gives up a seat for an elderly or handicapped person . I never saw a single local offer a seat to anyone! In restaurants we found the guidebooks were correct in there was one menu for locals and another for tourists…and the tourist menu was not the less expensive! Besides the people, I am most disappointed by the way they keep their cities. Trash and graffiti everywhere! Rome and Naples can compete and win easily for amount of graffiti with the worst areas of New York and Los Angeles. The streets have never seen a street sweeper and the parks are a joke. Last year when we went to the Costa del Sol in Spain, it was not like this so I don’t blame all of Europe. Barcelona and Mallorca were ok so maybe it is just Italy with which I am having such a problem? The most visited country in the world…they say….and the worst cared for….Maybe it is our (the tourists) fault because we are in such awe we ignore the basics?

Having said all that, we go to these places to view the greatness of the past. That is still there. The museums are fantastic. The castles and ancient architecture are beautiful. It is really sad the great heros of the past have left the care to the current generation. We are really having a great time. Just pondering the basics I would look for. Is this a place I would want to live? Is this a place I can let my kids play? If I lived here would I be ashamed of the neighborhood ..if visitors came? Would I have to apologize? Oh well; I have yet to see the Amafi Coast, Florence, and Venice…. And this week we will hit Greece, Turkey and the other side of Sicily. I am still an optimist and I am sure the beauty of these places will overcome all the negatives seen so far. Am I sorry I came? Not on your life! I am greatly enjoying what I came to see in spite of the people and trash! And…I am truly happy to see the most polite and considerate people in Europe are the American tourists……

Costa Romantica

This ship holds about 1300 passengers, of which about 200 speak English. It is an Italian ship geared to the Italian family that wants to cruise the Med. There are discounts for children as much as 100% so the program for kids is great allowing much time for the adults to be alone with the ships personnel watching the little buggers. This has good and bad points for us as Amber is having a ball! Apparently the fact that none of the other kids are speaking English seems to not bother her at all. I have always been told that European kids are so much more disciplined and well behaved then American kids; I was really surprised at how poorly that applied here! Kids are kids and will constantly test the boundaries just to learn where they are. I mentioned earlier how rude and undisciplined the adults were….well it is the same on the ship. The kids run wild and there is little effort made to control them. One set of pools are adult only but every time I have been there the kids were everywhere and even the crew looks the other way. The ships name is Romantica but a couple may want to reconsider this choice…..kids as young as three and four monopolize the dance floors as late as midnight. This could be very disconcerting to a newlywed couple of someone looking for a little romance on the high seas….Of course as a sociological adventure this can all lead to fun! I have learned to step into the elevator no matter which way the arrow points because if you push your floor before someone else pushed theirs….the elevator will go your way! You may want to go up and have to ride down one stop but then you win and the elevator goes to your floor. I have learned not to wait for people to leave the elevator before getting on and thus I beat those pushing behind me and I reach the elevator buttons first! In the buffet there are no lines. He with the closest plate to the front wins! Actually there are lines, sort of…but they are allowed to fan out. O if one line is too long you just step to the side of the first person and start another line! So you fill your plate, reach over a short persons head to reach the coffee cups, set your plate on the counter and pour the milk into your coffee cup and tada! I win! Barb tends to ignore the buffet unless really necessasary….I don’t think she quite gets the adventure of fighting for a choice piece of pizza?

It really is a beautiful ship and except for the crew ignoring the wild ones, the service is as good as any ship I have been on. The food is delicious and the service in the main dining room is a dream. Our room for three is as large as any we have had on other lines and kept up very well. I would recommend this line to anyone but would recommend they be aware of the audience for which they play.

The main reason we took this cruise was the itinerary. Its is a way to stretch our visit to Italy to include Turkey and Greece. The sad part was we hit Santorini in the morning and Mykonos in the evening one day and the next day was only a half day stop in Athens. Talk about hustling butt! On Santorini we rode the donkeys up the mountain and the cable car down….not too sure which was scarier! We were in Mykonos for dinner on the beach and one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen anywhere. Athens was a horserace! A five hour tour with two hours in the Archaeological Museum and two hours at the Acropolis and Parthenon with the balance riding a bus. We knew going in it would not be enough time but the exposure was enough to tell us we needed to come back and do it again at a more leisurely pace. Our stop in Turkey was at Izmir; third largest city in Turkey and closest port to Ephesus. Ephesus is important as a religious shrine as it holds the last home of the Virgin Mary. For those weak in their religious history, St John the Apostle was given the care of Mary after the death of Jesus. He took her with him to Asia Minor and settled in Ephesus. St John’s tomb is still in Ephesus, however his bones were moved to the Vatican. Mary’s house was build on a hill away from the city for protection and lived there the balance of her live. The historical facts seem clear enough that over the years three Popes have made pilgrimages here to view to house where Mary lived. It really doesn’t matter your religious views; this spot is recognized as a shrine by the Christians and the Muslims and holds great significance for many.

We have one more day at sea then back to Civitavecchia; on to the Rome airport and a hop to Venice. We found a bed and breakfast there with a view of the Grand Canal so expect the next couple of days will be also on a boat but perhaps a much smaller one!